


Clovers (In my Eyes)

by Killjoy013



Series: House Of Memories [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Child Azula (Avatar), Drabble, Gen, Happy Azula (Avatar), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Socially Awkward Azula, Soft baby crushes, baby has a crush and doesn't know it.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27921646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Killjoy013/pseuds/Killjoy013
Summary: Azula should move on but the girl and her make eye contact.The girl waves.Oh no.Azula, on pure instinct, waves back.Oh no.Azula makes a friend with flower crowns and Katas. Fluff.
Relationships: Azula (Avatar) & Original Female Character(s)
Series: House Of Memories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016374
Comments: 11
Kudos: 35





	Clovers (In my Eyes)

**Author's Note:**

> Flower Crowns and Katas  
> Azula deserves a crush.  
> If this gets some traction, I'll expand on Lanying and Azula's blooming relationship.

_I know when to go  
I know when to go  
Take my time down the hall  
With my eyes up on the wall_

* * *

Azula doesn't like people. She doesn't like how everything has different meanings depending on how people say it. 

She hates the war room meeting because of that. During was fine. But before and after is bad. 

General, Lieutenants, Captains, Admirals standing around and saying their words with a thousand meanings. They're in the way of her path. She's small and they're tall. Just because she’s five doesn’t mean she's stupid. She doesn’t like being talked down to. 

Azula normally avoided this hallway but she left her scroll on advanced forms in the gardens and going past the war room is the quickest way. 

She plans to go behind the curtains and huge maps as always. Azula knows how to run silently.

Until she sees a girl her age. She's taller than Azula and she's got glasses. It makes her pretty grey eyes look like storm clouds. She's got dimples and a heart-shaped face. She's talking matter of factly to a general while holding his hand. 

Must be his daughter. Azula should move on but the girl and her make eye contact. 

Oh no. 

The girl waves.

Azula, on pure instinct, waves back. 

_Oh no._

The general whirls around to where his daughter is waving and then chuckles. He says something to Father who nods with a wave of his hand. 

The girl is coming towards her. With a huge smile that makes Azula's blood fuzzy. 

"Play nice." Ozai mouths at her with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. Azula nods quickly and he shows teeth. 

"Princess! Hi, I'm Lanying but most people call me Lan." The girl, Lanying, grins, fiddling with her purple sleeves. 

"I'm Azula."

The girl knew already, of course, she knew Azula's name. She's the princess. But Lanying nods, "I didn't think I'd get to see you! My mama's been sick so Baba's taking care of me for a bit and had to bring me here. I was in the library the whole time they were in the meeting."

Azula blinks, "Your Mother's sick?"

"Yeah, fever. She's gonna be okay though. We just don't want to get sick."

"Oh." 

Azula fiddles with her hands behind her back. Silence hangs between them like a chandelier. 

What does Zuko do to make his friends interested in him?

He shows them things.

"You want to see my firebending?"

Lanying lights up and nods. Azula turns and continues her walk to the gardens with a person in tow. 

Azula weaves expertly through the fray of men. Lanying isn't so lucky. She's stumbles behind, trying to politely move through the crowd.

Azula stops, pivots back, and grabs a hold of the girl's hand.

"So I don't lose you." She explains. Lanying nods, looking at her weirdly. 

"Okay. Lead the way, Princess." 

The gardens are empty, Zuko's off doing lessons so he won't bother her- _them_. There's a second person here. 

Lanying smiles at the sight of the fountain in the middle.

"It's so pretty."

"I like it because it's quiet. No one but my brother comes here. I train here for the fresh air."

"What's it like?" 

Breathing? The girl wants to know what's it like breathing in fresh air? No, that's stupid. Be smarter Azula. 

Lanying waits patiently but she's pointedly looking at their joined hands. That clicks.

"Oh. You can't bend."

Lanying hums as she gently releases Azula's hand, "I cannot Fire bend. You didn't answer my question. What does it feel like?"

"Feelings are hard to say out loud."

Lanying has that look that Zuko gets when things are going wrong.

"But," Azula says hurriedly startling even herself, "How about I show you?"

Lanying's eyes go wide and bright behind the glasses. She nods eagerly, dimples showing on her chubby cheeks.

Azula makes sure she's far enough to not feel the flame and explicitly telling the other girl to not get close until she's done. She burns a semi-circle in the grass with her fingertips lightly darkening the grass. 

Azula takes a deep breath and clears her mind. 

She goes into her basic Katas with fire. It's simple, basic, and a warmup. She could do it in her sleep.

Azula ends with the fire fists, extended arms frozen when Lanying claps. 

It makes her blink. She's used to the passive look in Father's eyes and silence.

"What?"

"That was so-I've never seen it up close before. I could see and feel the heat." She's beaming like Azula just showed her the fountain of youth or a dragon egg. 

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, _no,_ I just. I just wish I could show you something back."

"It's okay if you can't."

The other girl looks sad and Azula wants to fix it but she doesn't know how to. 

Feeling are hard to fix.

Lanying still looks dejected until her eyes go to the flowers behind Azula. 

"I can. Hold on." 

Lanying hurries to the flower bush before stopping, "Can I pick these?"

Azula shrugs, "They can grow back. Sure."

The girl lights up and starts rooting through bushes of flowers like a badgermole and grabbing leaves.

Azula watches, confused. Is she going to flower bend?

"Sit." 

Azula does so. Let it not be said she can’t follow orders. 

"Close your eyes. Please?"

Azula looks up at the girl but she's behind her. She's isn't a threat so why is Azula's heart beating so fast?

Maybe it's the Katas.

"Lanying?"

"Just Lan." 

"Lan?"

"I'm almost done with yours." She mutters.

With her what? What are flowers and a bunch of leaves going to do?

"And... _done_! Here. It's not firebending but, I bet you can't do this."

The gift is placed held out in Lan's hands. 

A crown of flowers. Weaved together in record timing. Azula stares, the flowers look like jewels in the sunlight. Oh, she's showing Azula her talent. Okay. 

"It's for you."

"What?"

"I made it for you. You showed me your gift. So I showed you one of mine."

Azula's heart feels….fuzzy again. She brushes it off. Maybe it's something she ate.

"Thank you."

"Put it on please!"

Azula doesn't want to ruin her hair. Father will be disappointed. Disappointment means more training. But the look in Lan's eyes makes her want to wear it. Azula really wants to wear it. 

"Can you do it? I don't want to mess with my top knot."

"Oh, yeah."

Lan's already taller, she had to bend down to gently place the crown on her. Azula knows there's a ceremonial crown whenever a Firelord is appointed. This somehow feels the same. Clovers tickle her lashes until Lan adjusts it and then tucks her hair back behind her ear. Her fingers seem to burn a line down Azula’s jaw even though Lan's a non-bender.

"There. It should stay on. A pretty Princess deserves a crown."

"I can teach you the Katas. They work just as well for strength training." The words tumble out before she can stop them.

"Okay. Then I can teach you how to make these." 

"Deal."

"Deal." 

Lanying giggles and Azula echoes it back, feeling her stomach flip.

"So, Sifu Princess, what do I need to do first?" She hums fiddling with the ends of her sleeves. Azula reaches out and carefully folds back the purple fabric to Lanying's elbows, tying them out of habit. Her fingers graze Lan's soft skin, free of burns unlike Azula's. 

"This, for starters. I always tie my sleeves back." Azula hums. 

Azula is a good teacher or Lan is a great student. She's taller so her stances have to be wider, deeper. She's mirroring the firebender with a light smile instead of the serious look Azula's conditioned to wear when practicing. 

Azula remembers how Zuko was taught when Father was busy, the teacher was warm and friendly. He even taught Azula some forms. She wants to be that. Not like Father.

"Good but your feet are in the wrong position. Pivot. Left, no _my_ left, there you go."

"Like this?" Lan says her face full of concentration. Her long hair in two twin braids. Her glasses, circles rims of silver, reflect in the sun. Her stance is good but…

“Stand up straight. Don’t hunch over. You do that a lot.” 

“I’m always reading. I bet my body is trained to rest like that.” 

“You have to untrain it. Besides, you’re taller than average. That’s an advantage.”

“You’re just short.”

Azula huffs and crosses her arms, making herself stand up straighter to seem taller, “I’m not!”

“To me, you are,” Lan says, dropping her stance, back slightly hunched as she walks up to Azula. The Princess only comes up to her shoulders. Lan smiles down warmly at Azula. It’s the look that flickers in Mai’s eyes when Zuko does some Zuko-like. 

Azula finds she likes the look when it's directed to her.

Silvery eyes meet amber ones. 

Lan is beaming. Bright like a flame. But softer. 

Azula coughs and turns away, blaming the flush of her cheeks on the fire she bent minutes ago. 

“You should go through them again.” Azula hums, hands behind her back, one grabbing the other wrist.

"Not without you."

Lan grins as Azula takes the stance with her. 

Together, side by side, they move slowly in sync. Azula uses her fire, making it as cold as it can be, only for show. 

Azula can suddenly see why Zuko keeps Mai and Ty-Lee around. She wants this to never end.

The flower crown stays on her head the whole time. Clovers still ticking her lashes as Azula's cheeks ache from smiling.

The scroll on forms laying by the tree is forgotten in place of a new friend.

* * *

_Lying down on the grass  
Clover bed under my back  
Close my eyes in the middle of the day  
Close my eyes and it feels just the same_

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, you totally should comment and leave kudos so I know what you like and don't like. Constructive criticism and/or commentary is super helpful and appreciated! Thanks for reading!
> 
> KJ


End file.
